Apparatus for the delivery of articles to conveyers



| LTH EBAULT APPARATUS FOR THE DELIVERY OF ARTICLES TO CONVEYERS FiledAug. 2, 1946 March 31, 1953 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. Xmb JW ATTORNEY.

| THEBAULT 2,633,224

APPARATUS FOR THE DELIVERY OF ARTICLES T0 CONVEYERS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2ATTORNEY.

A1 I I INVENTOR. Xauw 8W 9% Jfifiaaw March 31, 1953 FiledjAug. 2, 1946Marc h 31, 1953 L. THEBAULT 2,633,224

APPARATUS FOR THE DELIVERY OF ARTICLES TO CONVEYERS Filed Aug. 2, 1946 4Sh c Sh ee 5- eet 5 INVENTOR. {M 7m BY OQaZI/ d4. flmm/ ATTORNEY.

March 31, 1953 L. THEBAULT 2,633,224

APPARATUS FOR THE DELIVERY OF ARTICLES TO CONVEYERS Filed Aug. 2, 1946 4Sheets-Sheet 4 a? Q I 5;:

l INVENTOR.

Patented Mar. 31, 1953 U'NIT'ED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR THEDELIVERY OF ARTICLES TO CONVEYERS Louis Thbault, Sucy-en-Brie', France,.ass'ignor' to Societe: Anonyme des Manufactures des Glaces ct ProduitsChimiquesde Saint-Gobain, Chauny et Cirey, Paris, France ApplicationAugust. 2, 1946, Seri'a't'No. 6853;115 In. France December; 17, 1943Section 1, Public Law 690,August 8, 1946 Patentexpircs December1'1,1"963 1 invention relates to means. for delivering articles frompositions in line to positions in ranks. The invention will. bedescribed in its application. to a. chute that is primarily adaptedtothe transference of bottlesv to a moving conveyoi's. However; it to beunderstood that this, preferred, embodiment of the invention is onlyillustrative and does not-constitute a limitation. The preferredembodiment of the invention which is described herein. relates to anapparatus for-transferring bottles from a bottle forming machine toalehr conveyor. A difficult problem arises? in: handling the-bottles asthey aredischarged. by" automatic. bottle forming. machinery.ltlhaszirheretofore been proposed to: transfer the bottlesrto amovingconveyor in. an upright'positionaoiruon their sides. but the problem ofstanding; a bottle upon itsvend on. a. moving conveyor hassbsendifficult to. solve; and. bottles on their sidesttend to rolL.

Eorsome; purposes, or use, itis'desirable that bottlesshouldrbe arrangedin ranks rather than in. a; single: line,v and. that it should bepossible to vary-the: arrangement of bottles in the ranks, but"heretoforetno apparatus. has been completely successful in placingbottles upright in selected ranks'ruponx the surface of. a. movingconveyor.

' It is: anobject. of this invention to transfer 'bottlesisfrom .a.bottleforming machine to aconveyonby meanszwhichare capable of coordinatIin'g -thetspeed: ofzthe; machine to the speed of the conveyor.

Another object of: the invention is to deliver :bottles:frompositionsin. line'to positions; in ranks uporrgac. moving conveyor.

Another: object ofv the: invention is-to construct an apparatus capable:of transferringa series of :bottl'es from positionsiinlinetorpositionsin ranks :upon-..a moving:conveyor; and capable of making ranks whichare. selectively provided withdiffer- -.ent-sliapes:and relations toother ranks.

Another object is to coordinate the. Speed of a bottlezmachinewith thatof a bottle delivery apparatug by meansof a plurality of intermediateconveyorspperating. at different speeds.

Anotherxobject. of the: invention is to take bottles. from. a reclining:position and: to=erect themlupontlieasurface:ofa'zmoving conveyor.

\ .Anotlierzo'b'iect toideliver bottles A chuteto ithei-conveyor and:tocontrol the bottles in. their :passagezito the: chute and: while theyare being -dcpos'ited1on. the: surface. of the .zconveyon.

. Another object: is; to: impart. to;a delivery chute bothzlongitudinalandftransverse. mctionrwith: re- .latiomtorsthe' surface of amovingxconv'eyorso that; unstable: articles. delivered. thereto maybedelivered an upright. manner: and in: precis .trelatinnitm other.similanarticles... i

Another. object is: to. impart. to. adelivery chute motion having.transverse and longitudinal components with respect tothemotion of. a.receiving conveyor by mean of. apparatus capable .of .adjustmenttoprovide upon the surface of theconveyor different space relationshipsbetween the articles. delivered.

Another object of theinvention .is to transfer articlesto a conveyorregardless of the difierence in. levelbetweenthe. starting. position andthe delivering. position.

The above and further objects and novelff'eatures of theinventionwillmore. fully appear from the following description when thesame is read in connection with the accompanying.- drawings.

.It ist lbe expressly understood, however, that .the

drawings areifor the .purpose of illustration only and are notintended.as a definition of the limits of the invention,.reference for thislatterpurpose being had primarily to=the appended. claims.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters refer to like partsthroughout the several views,

Fig. l. is. a planview of .an apparatus adapted to transfer bottlesfroma forming machine'to a lehr conveyor, the control mechanism beingdiagrammatically shown;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through one (little clutchoperated gearsfor reciprocating the'chute;

Fig. 3 is a verticalv elevational' view of diagrammatic character of an.elevator for transferring bottles fromla forming. machine to afeedingcon- "veyor;v

I Fig. 4. is an enlarged View of the end of the chute. showing. thedischarging-mechanism;

5 is an elevationalview .oflthe chute and its operating. mechanism;

- Figs. 6' .toill are exemplary of the ranks in different alignments andFigure 12 shows the. apparatus ofTFig... .l a momentlater.

Ref erring. now to the numerals of'the drawings, the numeral I'll referstoa bottle transfer device which takes. bottles from. the formingmachine andtransfers themto an elevator of verticallyarrangedchainconveyor type. The bottle transfer device has an. arm ill;mounted upona pivot 1.2,. at the ends of which are clutches 13: adaptedto pick up bottles 4 and. drop them. in a chute k5,. by which they aredelivered. to the: feeding basket l6 ofaibasket type chainvconveyororelevator, which accommodateswdifferencesin level between-the:formingapparatus-and thelehr conveyor, .In Fig.3a-tower-like-framework.zll-supports ar chainconveyor 2 whichpisappropriately .driven. by a rotatable shaft 22. .such. drives arewellunderstoodby engineers and need not be detailedzhere. The-chains ofthe-con- The details of veyor pass over pulleys 23. The chains carry, atspaced intervals, baskets 24 which are adapted to receive and totransport bottles. The feeding basket I6 is pivotally mounted at I! andis weighted at its outer edge, for instance as shown at l8, in orderthat it may return to position after it has discharged its load to thebasket 24. Tripping lever 25 is operatively attached to the deliverybasket |6 by appropriate sprocket gears and a chain 26. Tappets 21, inadvance of baskets 24, engage the lever 25 and pivot the basket l6 intosuch position that its contents are discharged into the basket 24, thebasket l6 being released by the tappets and returned to originalposition before engagement takes place between the two baskets.

The basket 24 with its contents are carried by the chains to the topofthe tower 20 where it is tilted and discharges its burden into a chute30 from whence it is deposited upon a conveyor 3|. The bottles are thusdelivered from the forming machine to a conveyor in line, and it ispossible, as has been hereinabove pointed out, to transport them on thisconveyor to the place of packing or use where they can be removed byhand or otherwise and used for their intended purpose. However, such aprimitive construction does not accomplish the primary objects of thisinvention or solve the problems of the prior art.

The bottle transfer device is of necessity geared to the speed of thebottle making machine and the chain is of necessity geared to the speedof the bottle delivery means In. However, that speed may not be afavorable rate for the discharge of the articles onto the final or lehrconveyor. Furthermore, the problem also exists of the proper spacing ofthe bottles for ready handling by the apparatus as a whole. Theseproblems of coordination are overcome by the use of a plurality ofaligned conveyors 3|, 32 of belt type. The conveyor 3| receives thebottles as they are discharged by the conveyor or elevator 2|. Its speedof necessity is sufiicient to prevent bottles from striking one anotheras they are discharged by the elevator." The belt conveyor 32, on theother hand, while being driven in the same direction as belt 3|, may bedriven at a lesser or at a greater speed, depending upon therequirements of the delivery apparatus hereinafter described. Byregulating the relative speeds of the two belts, the operation of twoportions of the apparatus, whose speeds might otherwise be inirreconcilable conflict, is smoothly and perfectly conducted.

The sides of the conveyors 3|, 32 have guides "34 which prevent thebottles from being accidently thrown from the conveyors. Fixedlyattached "to such guides as by means of rivets 35 are flexible guides36, which are adapted to slide within sleeves 31 attached to the guidesat the upper end of pivoted chute 50. A funnel or chute section 38 issuspended from the guide bars 36 by loops 39. The upper end of the chute50 is arranged approximately over the pivot about which the chuteswingsso that the conveyor is enabled to discharge its bottles to thechute section 38, which has a sufiicient inclination to carry the bottledownward, from whence they slide onto chute section 56. By thisconception the appli- -cant is enabled to transfer bottles from a movingconveyor to an angularly moving chute without 'difiiculty and withoutdamage to the bottles.

' It; is one object of this invention to transfer bottles in line topositions in ranks upon the surface of a moving conveyor. This is accom-"plished by a moving chute 58which is traversed with respect to theconveyor and is also provided with a longitudinal component of motionbetween two successive delivering positions equal to the sum of thedifference of the ordinates of the two corresponding points of thetransverse line to be described on the conveyor and of the forwardmovement of the conveyor during the same time. This chute is sometimesof considerable length and is sufiiciently inclined to employ gravitytransfer of the bottles, and the bottles would attain too great speedunless something were done to control their passage through it. In thedrawing the chute has been indicated by the numeral 50 and is providedwith a bed or floor 5|, side guides 52, and pivoted shutters 53, 54, 55.Three shutters are shown, but the number could be greater or less or, inshort chutes fed at a suffic'iently low rate, could be omitted. Theshutter 53, for example, is pivotally mounted upon a shaft 56, theattachment being at one side of the shutter so that the pivoting of theshaft 56 will throw the shutter upward from its normal position as apart of the bed of the chute into position to act as a stop for thebottles. The shaft 56 carries an upwardly extending crank arm 51 whichis connected by the rod 58 to a reciprocable disk 59. The disk 59 has abearing 60 upon which the arm 58 is mounted and a bearing 64 upon whichis mounted a rod 6|, the other end of which is attached to a downwardlyextending crank arm 62 mounted on the end of shaft 63 which carries theshutter 55. When the disk is reciprocated the shutters 53 and 55 arethus operated together, both being raised simultaneously from the bed ofthe chute to stopping position and both being flattened simultaneouslyto permit the passage of bottles. To bearing 64 there is also attached arod 65 that operates the upwardly extending crank arm 66 which isattached to shaft 61 mounted in the chute and carrying the shutter 54.Shutter 54 works in opposition to the shutters 53 and 55; when they aredepressed, it is raised, and vice versa.

The disk 59 is reciprocated by means of a double ended piston 70 bearingbetween its ends a rack 1| engaged with a pinion 12 mounted on the shaft13 that carries the disc 59. The reciprocation of the pistonreciprocates the disk 59 pivotally and operates the shutters. The chuteis provided witha pivoted discharging foot 15 and a steadying member 16.The scale of Fig. 1 is too small to show the detailed construction ofthe discharging foot perfectly. Reference is had to Fig. 4 for thatpurpose. This foot is an L- shaped member the portion 11 of which in itsretracted position forms a continuation of the bed 5| of the chute. Inthat position the member 18 extends at right angles to the chute andacts to receive and stop the bottle released by the shutter 55. The footis pivotally operated through arms 19, 19' and rod 6|. It is thus workedcoincidentally with shutter 55, but because of the arrangement of theparts, in opposition thereto.

The arm 19 has a depending sleeve 88 into which is screw threaded asupport 8|, on the end of which is pivotally attached pusher 82' havinga head 83 which in retracted position is flush with the part 11 of foot15. The pusher 82 is fixed upon and turns with a shaft 84, whichprojects outward and is operated by arm 6| through rod 19 and a lever19'. In other words, the portion 1'! of the foot is rigidly attached toshaft 84 so as to turn with the shaft. The curved rod 19 is attached tothe end of the rod 19' which is fixed on shaft84. -The sleeve is mountedon an intermediate part of rod '19 and supportspusher 82, 83*flexibly bymeans of a spring shown in Fig. 4, so that it can be drawn into theplane of part '11 when rod 61 is retracted. A flange 85 acts to preventthe head 83 from being drawn through'the bed of the chute. .A look nut86 holds the support in adjusted position.

The rod 80, attached to a downwardly'extending crankarm 81 and tobearing 60, controls the operation of the steadying member 16 which maybe conveniently made of wire and mounted adjustably to the size ofdifferent bottles. The horizontally extending arm of crank v8'! has asplit end, or it may by other satisfactory meansbe made to carry wirerod'88 ad'justably as to height. A clamp 89 joins therod 88 to rod I6,which. is angular and carries. a steadying fork 90 atits end.

The conveyor 32, delivers a series of bottles such as. 1.8, 19 to thechute, in line, and at a rate coordinated tothe operation of the.shutters. The bottle. 19 shown in Fig. lslides down the chute until it,is stopped by the shutter 53. The shutter swings into the bed of themachine and the bottle 19 slides down and, against. shutter 54 whichrose in the meantime. When that shutter, swings into'the bed of themachine the shutter 53 rises again and stops the. bottle 18. In themeantime the bottle 19 slides down against the shutter 55. When shutters53-55 swing into the bed of the chute, the shutter 54 is raised andstops the bottle 18, while the. bottle 19 reaches the discharge board E8of the foot 15. On the next operation of the shutters. the foot istilted somewhat beyond the upright, the pusher 82 thrusts the bottle offthe delivery board 18 and, onto the surface of the, movingv conveyor.Due. to their relatively small base, some bottles would fall over at themoment of transfer, but member 16 operates through the fork 90 to steadythe bottle as it. is transferred to the conveyor, being moved out of theway of the bottle on the next. swing of the shutter gear. This operationis continued as long as the bottles are fed to the machine.

The placing of the bottleson the. conveyor in ranks isaccomplishedbymoving the chute across the conveyor with pivotal reciprocating motion.In order that this be accomplished the chute, is

mounted, on a. standard 91 which is pivotally supported upon, a bearing92 which is in turn supported upon a, platform 93 of adjustable height.The. standard'is reciprocated by a gear segment 96.. At thev upper endof. the standard a collar. 95 is adjustably mounted upon a screw thread95 enabling the chute to be positioned at different levels. The collar95 bears a. cross arm 9'! from which two arms 98 project upwardly at anangle on either sidefof'the chute. A frame 99 supports hangers 100,which are pivotally attached attheir lower ends to the. frame of thechute. This construction permits the chute to be moved longitudinally atthe same'time that it, is moved across the conveyor by the pivotally Ireciprocating standard 9.1

The longitudinal motion: is. imparted to the chute by a novel mechanismwhich includes an arm. i111. pivotally mounted at [02 on the platform93. Mounted upon. the arm 10!. for instance. by means of bolts 193' isa. guide.v 10.4. This guide may be. of diverse shapes but intheembodiment illustratedinv Fig. l, is curved. A guide 105 is mounted onthe chute toward the. lower end thereof and has a, member 10.6 whichprojects intothe; slot 101. in thecuitved. guide 1M.v The end of thechute is thereby constrained to follow the guide. During the deiiveryofa" rank of bottles the arm 101 and the curved guide 104' are fixed inposition. After the deliveryof'sai'd rankis completed, the arm 101 iscaused to swing about its pivot 102- so as to bring'theguide 104' to asecond position symmetrical with the first one in relation to the axisof the conveyor. A piston 'bottles as they are-placed upon the conveyorby the machine.

In Figs. 8 and 9 is'shown the'aligmnent roduced by a guide whose shapeis as indicatedby" the two continuous lines of the F g. 9. Thisguideproduces the alignment of bottles shown in-Fig. 8 and by the dotted line220 of Fig. 9. Alignment inechelon as indicated by thedotted line 221 inFig. 11 can beproduced by a straight guideof which the two positions areindicated incontinuous lines in Fig 1.1.

The guides need not. be of" single slot construetion but may be formedlike a figure 8.. For instance, a guide may be-shaped like the lines210, 211, 212,213 in Fig. 7.

The length and curvature 'of".the' guide maybe varied in accordance withthespeed and width of the conveyor.

If the delivery end ofthe chute were swung continuously across. thesurface of the conveyor, there would be atendencytoupsetthe bottle as itwas discharged. 'In bottles of narrow base this tendency has. sufficientimportance to require attention; it has'been overcome by imparting .tothe chute interrupted reciprocating motion. The motion ,of thechuteceases as each bottle is discharged to the surface of the conveyor,being immediately resumed as soon asthe discharge is completed.

The machine coordinates the operation of an apparatus for deliveringbottles froma forming.

machine with those of a swinging chute having interrupted'lateral andlongitudinal motion, with means to control the passage of an articlethrough the chute, with means to discharge each article upon a movingconveyor and to steady it while-it is being discharged, and withapparatus capable of laying articles delivered by the chute in ranks ofdifierent order. These many and complex functions are accomplished by anovel control system that is preferably operated by compressed gas suchas. compressed. air or steam. This apparatus is remarkably simpleconsidering the complexity of the functions which are to be coordinatedandis substantially stem-controlled,

Apipe line 114 delivers. compressed air'to the mid-portion of a cylinder115 having. a. triple headed piston 116 and to an. electricalipulsatorvalve 111 which acts at regular intervalsto. deliver compressed airthrough-pipes 14.8,, 119' to the ends of cylinder 5 wherebytofreciprocate piston 116'. The reciprocation of; piston 116 deliverscompressed air from the pipev 114' alternatelyto pipe lines 120,, 1.21.Openings 122,123 in cylinder 115 permit'the. alternate, discharge ofthelines 120, +21; respectively. As shownin the drawingiFig. 1, thecompressed air is being delivered to ipe line I2I while pipe line I20 isbeing discharged.

The pipe line I2I serves one end of the cylinder containing piston 10.The pipe line I20 serves the other end of said piston. The alternatecharges of compressed air delivered by and to the pipe lines I20, I2Ireciprocate the piston 10 and control the operation of the shutters, thedelivery board, and the bottle stabilizer.

' A pipe line I24 connected to pipe line I feeds a pipe line I which isconnected at its ends to the mid-portions of cylinders I26, I21 thatcontain pistons I28, I29, respectively, which in one extremity of thecylinder prevent the discharge of air from line I25, and in the otherend of the cylinder permit it to be discharged through the reducedmid-portion oi. the piston to pipe lines I30, I3I. In the position shownin the drawing Fig. 12, pressure from line I20 is passing through pipesI24, I25 and piston I29 to line I30, while the end of piston I28prevents the delivery of air to line I3I.

The pistons I28, I29 are forced by springs I32, I33 toward blockingposition, which is illustrated in cylinder I 26 (Fig. 1). In that figurethe chute is swinging counterclockwise and is just about to compress thespring I33 in cylinder I21, which is shown compressed in Fig. 12. Therack 94 carries arms I35, I34 that make alternate contact with pistonrods I36, I31. The arms are carried by rack 34 in a. lower plane thanthe rack itself so that the arms do'not engage the gears I 65-466. Whensuch contact is made, as shown in cylinder I21 Fig. 1, the force of thespring is overcome and the piston is moved to a position which permitsthe discharge of compressed air into the servient line. 'The lines I30,I3I are connected to the opposite ends of a cylinder I38.

In the position shown in the drawing Fig. 1,

compressed air is not being received by the cylinder I38 through theline I 0r I3I so that the triple headed piston I39 remains in itsosition, both lines I30-I3I being blocked as neither spring I32-I33 iscompressed. A pipe line I40 delivers compressed air to the mid-portionof the cylinder I38 and the reciprocation of the piston I39 delivers theair alternately through the reduced mid-portions of the piston to linesI4I, I42, which are in turn connected to the opposite ends of cylinderIIO that contains piston I09 which controls the reciprocation of the armI0 I. In the position shown in Fig. l, the pipe I40 is delivering air topipe I4I while the pipe I42 is discharging through opening I43. Anopening I44 provides for the discharge of ipe I4I when compressed air isreceived in the cylinder I38 through line I30 as in Fig. 12. Todischarge into the surrounding atmosphere the compressed air containedbetween cylinder I38 and the ends of piston I39, the pipe lines I25, I25and I3I, I30 are connected to cylinders I26, I21, respectively, inaxially spaced relation and the cylinders are provided with outletorifices a and b, respectively. As may be seen on the figure, when theend of piston I28 covers the entrance of pipe line I25, it prevents thepassage of the air from pipe line I25 to pipe line I3I, the latter thenbeing in free communication with the surrounding atmosphere through thebottom of cylinder I26 and outlet a, thus enabling the discharge of theair coming from cylinder I38.

' The swing of the arm IOI from one piston valve to the other is rapid,so that no substantial period of time passes with the end of the arm IOIin mid-position. It may be considered that that arm is in continuousengagement with one Or the other of the valve rods that control thereciprocation of the chute.

Reciprocations of the chute are controlled by piston valves I50, I5Iwhich are in turn operated by the arm IOI. The piston valves operate incylinders I52, I53 which have openings I54, I55 and pipe lines I56, I51in the side walls thereof. The pistons are triple headed, operating inone position in the cylinder to admit compressed air to the pipe lineand in the other position to discharge the pipe line. The pistons arecontinually subjected to pressure from lines I58, I59 so that, exceptwhen under the control of arm IOI, they are thrust inward away from thelines I58, I59.

Openings I60, I6I in the end heads of the pistons permit the compressedair to pass to the pipe lines I56, I51 through the reduced portion ofthe piston, when the piston is positioned as shown in cylinder I52 (Fig.1). When the arm IOI overcomes the force of the compressed air operatingupon the piston, it is moved to a position which permits the dischargeof the pipe lines I56 or I51 through the opening I54 or I55.

The rack 94 is in mesh with a plurality of gears I65, I66 supported inhousings I61, I68 which also contain the clutch and drive mechanism forreciprocating the rack and the chute. Fig. 2 shows a vertical sectionthrough one of the said housings. The casing I68 contains bearings I1I,I12 in which is mounted a shaft I10, upon the lower end of which isfixedly mounted a worm wheel I13 in mesh with a driving worm I69. Eachhousing I61, I68 contains a worm wheel which is continuously in meshwith the worm I69. The shaft I10 is rotated by the rotation of the wormI69 and transmits its motion through a key I14 to a vertically slidableclutch member I15 mounted on the shaft. The shaft has a collar I16,which is preferably formed integrally therewith, upon which rides a gearI66 which is continuously in mesh with the rack 94 and is freelyrotatable about the shaft I10. The upper end of the shaft I10 has areduced spindle I11 which projects within a hole I18 within the rod I19of piston I80. The lower end of shaft I19 has an annular flange I8Iwhich bears, preferably through ball bearings, upon the upper surface ofclutch element I15. The clutch element I15 is normally held by springI83 out of engagement with the corresponding clutch element I82 formedon the gear I66. When the piston I is depressed by compressed air frompipe line I51, the flange I8I forces the clutch member I15 intoengagement with clutch member I82 so that the gear I66 is rotated by theworm I69. Thus, when the arm IOI is in operating relation to the pistonvalve I5I, air is admitted through piston valve I50 to housing I61forcing the clutch elements to engage and rotate the rack 94 throughgear I65. At the same time, the corresponding clutch member in housingI68 is released and thrown out of operation by its spring so thattheengaging gear I66 idles upon its shaft.

Returning now primarily to Fig. 1, intermittent motion is imparted tothe worm I69 by a piston I which is reciprocated in a cylinder I9I bycompressed air received through lines I92, I93, respectively, fromcylinder H5. The timing of the action of piston I90 is coordinatedthrough the pulsator with all the other motions produced in theapparatus. The piston I90 through the piston rod I94 reciprocates a pawland ratchet 'veyor during the same time.

wheel .gear. which. is indicated generally by the numeral I96. A shaftI91 carries the ratchet wheel I98 and a bevelled gear I99, both of whichare keyed thereto. A pawl 200 is carried by an farm'20I which is mountedfor free pivotal movementf'upon the shaft I91. The arm 20! isconnested-by link 202 and slotted lever 203 to the pistonrod I94. Thelength of the stroke can be varied by adjusting the position of the endof rod 202 within the slot of lever 203.

At the instant shown in Fig. 12, compressed (air is beingadmitted tocylinder 168, and cylinder I61 is discharging through line I56, so thatgear I66 is being intermittently rotated counterclockwise and the chuteis starting its interrupted motion clockwise across the conveyor. As'soonas abutment I34 leaves rod I36 both valves I21 and I26 are closedby their springs. This position of the controlling valvesis maintaineduntilv abutment I35. opens piston valve I26 to .reverse theposition ofarm I I, moving the chute backward, and arm I 0| operates valve I53 torelease cylinder I68 and operate valve I52 and cylinder I61. The threadof screw I69 is diagrammatically shown; it will be threaded to give theproper direction to gears I65-I66 andsegmentM. It should be borne inmind that Figs. 1 and.12 illustrate changes as they occur in successiveperiods of time and do not represent the position of the valves atopposite ends of the arc traversed by the chute. The shutters, dischargefoot and piston I90 work evenly and intermittently, being. timedby thepulsator to the speed of the bottles in the chute, and the valves I38,I52, I53, I21, I26, I61 and I68 work at the ends of the arc traversed bythe chute to reverse its direction. The mechanism i9il I98-I69I65I66 isan intermittent motion land reversing gear. The shutters, foot, andtheir operating mechanism are a bottle advancing, control and dischargemechanism.

The advantages of the invention are exemplified by Figs. 6 to 11,wherein are shown examples of the bottle alignments that can be producedby this mechanism. Fig. 6 shows the bottle arrangement produced by adistributor swung along paths 2I0, 2I2 of Fig. '7. Motion can be deemedto start at the junction of lines 2| I and 2I2 proceeding along M2 toits end, backward along the edge of the conveyor on line 2I3, and thenceforward on line 2H] and back on line 2H. The dotted line 2l4 shows theresultant path upon which the bottles in each rank are placed, beingrepresented by dots numbered a d etc. Figures 8, 9, and 10, 11 arefurther examples of article arrangements producible by the employment ofa guide of particular shape. The line'X-X is the centerline of theconveyor. Thearticles may be delivered in straight lines or in curvedlines, perpendicular to the conveyor axis or diagonally, in aligned oroffset files. The trajectory of the distributor has a longitudinalcomponent between two successive delivering positions equal to the sumof the diirerence of the'ordinates of the two corresponding points ofthe transverse line to be described on the conveyonand of the forwardmovement of the con- The arrangement of the articles on the conveyorwill depend upon thie'stroke of the pawl and ratchet, the shape ofthe'guide, and the timing of the pulsator. Breakable'articIes can behandled without damage by controlling the length. of the drop betweenshutters so that the? speed orthe sliding article dbedhdtexceed thatwhich 'is sare.

Th combination is novel as a whole and individual novelty resides inmany o'fits parts.

This application is a continuation in part of my application Serial No.595,046, filed May 21, 1945, and now abandoned.

As many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention can'bemade without departing'from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to beunderstood that I do not limit myself to the specific embodiment thereofexcept as defined in the appended claims.

Whatis claimed is:

1. Bottle handling apparatus comprising a conveyor, chute means adaptedto deliver articles to the conveyor, a pivoted standard supporting saiddelivery means for limited longitudinal displacement, article controlmeans associated with said delivery means, meansto impart pivotalreciprocating motion to said deliv-'- ery means, apivoted'reciprocablelever mounted in proximity to said delivery means, a guide thereon, acooperating guide carried by said delivery means, means to reciprocatesaid lever, and means to coordinate the reciprocations of said "leverand said delivery means.

2. IBottle'handling apparatus comprising a con veyor, chute meansadapted to deliver articles to the conveyor, a pivoted standard, a pairof supports projecting from said standard, pivoted arms depending fromsaid supports and mounting said delivery means for limitedlongitudinaldisplacement, article control means associated withsaid delivery means,means to impart pivotal reciprocating motion to said delivery means, apivoted reciprocablelevermounted in proximity to said delivery means, aguidethereon, a cooperating guide carried'by said delivery means, meansto reciprocate said lever, and means to coordinate the reciprocationsof'said lever and said delivery means.

3. Bottle handling apparatus comprising a conveyor, chute means adaptedto deliver articles to the conveyor, a pivoted support, pivotal meansmounting said chute on said support for limited displacement withrespect thereto, a pivoted article control means in said chute, apivoted article delivery board at the end of said chute, an articlestabilizer, means to coordinate the control, delivery and stabilizermeans, a gear segment attached to said support, means to reciprocatesaid segment whereby to impart pivotal reciprocating motion to saidchute, a pivoted reciprocable'lever mounted in proximity to saiddelivery means, a guide thereon, a cooperating guide carried by saidchute, means to reciprocate said lever, and means to coordinate thereciprocations of said lever and said chute.

4. Bottle handling apparatus comprising a conveyor, a chute adapted todeliver articles to the conveyor, a pivoted standard, a pair of supportsprojecting from said standard beside the chute, pivoted arms dependingfrom said supports and mounting said chute for limited longitudinaldisplacement, a pivoted shutter in said chute, a pivoted delivery boardat the end of said chute, an article stabilizer pivoted to said chute incooperation with said delivery board, a pivoted disc carried by saidchute, means to reciprocatethe disc comprising a pressure operatedpiston, means 'operatively, connecting said disc to said shutter,stabilizer and board, a gear segment attached to said standard,oppositely rotatable gears meshed with said segment, a screw, clutchelementsfr'neshed therewith, means to. intermittently turn the screwcomprising a pressure operated V 11 piston, and a pawl and ratchet gear,means to engage said clutches alternately with said gears :whereby toimpart pivotal reciprocating motion to said chute comprising pressureoperated pistons, a pivoted reciprocable lever, a guide thereon, acooperating guide carried by said chute, means to reciprocate said levercomprising a pressure operated piston, a source of fluid under pressure,means to deliver said fiuid alternately to the ends of said pistons, andmeans to coordinate the reciprocations of said lever and said chute.

5. Bottle handling apparatus comprising a conveyor, a chute adapted todeliver articles to the conveyor, a pivoted'standard, means to mountsaid chute upon said standard for limited longitudinal displacement.article control means in said chute, article delivery means at the endof said chute, an article stabilizer constructed and arranged tocooperate with said delivery means, means to operate the delivery meansand stabilizer to control the delivery of articles to the conveyor,means to impart pivotal reciprocating motion to said chute, a pivotedreciprocable lever, a guide thereon, a cooperating guide carried by saidchute, means to reciprocate said lever, a

source of fluid under pressure, means to deliver said fluid to theoperating means, and means to coordinate the reciprocations of saidlever and said chute comprising valves operable by said lever betweenthe source of pressure and said chute pivoting means, and valvesoperable by said chute between the source of pressure and the leverreciprocating means.

6. Bottle handling apparatus comprising a conveyor, a chute adapted todeliver articles to the conveyor, a pivoted standard, a pair of supportsprojecting from said standard beside the chute, pivoted arms dependingfrom said supports and mounting said chute for limited longitudinal displacement, pivoted shutters in said chute, a pivoted delivery board atthe end of said chute, an article stabilizer'pivoted to said chute incooperation with said delivery board, a pivoted disc carried by saidchute, means to reciprocate the disc comprising a pressure operatedpiston, means operatively connecting said disc to said shutters.stabilizer, and board, a gear segment attached to said standard,oppositely rotatable gears meshed with said segment, a screw, clutchelements meshed therewith, means to intermittently turn the screwcomprising a pressure operated piston and a pawl and ratchet gear, meansto engage said clutches alternately with said gears whereby to impartpivotal reciprocating motion to said chute comprising pressure operatedpistons, a pivoted reciprocable lever, a curved guide thereon, acooperating guide carried by said chute, means to reciprocate said levercomprising a pressure operated piston, a source of fluid under pressure,means to deliver said fluid alternately to the ends of said piston,means to coordinate the reciprocations of said lever and said chutecomprising valves operable by said lever between the source of pressureand said clutches, and valves operable by said chute between the sourceof pressure and the lever-operating piston.

'7. Bottle handling apparatus comprising a conveyor, a chute adapted todeliver articles to the conveyor, a pivoted standard, a pair of supportsprojecting from said standard beside the chute, pivoted arms dependingfrom said supports and mounting said chute for limited longitudinaldisplacement, pivoted shutters in said chute, 'a pivoted delivery boardat the end of said chute, an article stabilizer pivoted to said chute'incooperation with said delivery board, a pivoted disc carried by saidchute, means to reciprocate the disc comprising a pressure operatedpiston, means operatively connecting said dis-c to said shutters,stabilizer, and board, a gear segment attached to said standard,oppositely rotatable gears meshed with said segment, a screw, clutchelements meshed therewith, means to intermittently turn the screwcomprising a pressure operated piston and a pawl and ratchet gear, meansto engage said clutches alternately with said gears whereby to impartpivotal reciprocating motion to said chute comprising pressure operatedpistons, a pivoted reciprocable lever, a curved guide thereon, acooperating guide carried by said chute, means to reciprocate said levercomprising a pressure operated piston, a source of fluid under pressure,means to deliver said fluid alternately to the ends of the said pistons,means to coordinate the reciprocations of said lever and said chutecomprising valves operable by said lever between the source of pressureand said clutches and valves operable by said chute between the sourceof pressure and the lever-operating piston, a conveyor coordinated withthe speed of the shutters adapted to deliver articles to the chute,means between the chute and the coordinated conveyor to compensate forthe motion of the chute, an article delivery means, and a conveyorcoordinated to the speed of the delivery means adapted to transport thearticles and deliver them to said coordinated conveyor.

8. Article handling apparatus comprising means to deliver articles to achute, a chute constructed and arranged for movement lengthwise of aconveyor, a conveyor adapted to receive articles from the chute, meansto mount the chute comprising a pivot, a gear segment attached thereto,a plurality of gears meshed with said segment, clutches operativelyassociated with said gears, means to alternately engage said clutcheswhereby to reverse said segment and reciprocate said chute, means tomove the chute lengthwise of the conveyor, means to supply power to theseveral means, and means to coordinate the operation thereof.

9. Article handling apparatus comprising means to deliver articles to achute, a chute constructed and arranged for movement lengthwise of aconveyor, a conveyor adapted to receive articles from the chute, pivotalmeans to mount the chute, a gear segment attached thereto, a pluralityof gears meshed with said segment, clutches operatively associated withsaid gears, means to alternately engage said clutches whereby to reversesaid segment and reciprocate said chute comprising a plurality of valvesrespectively attached to said clutches, means to operate the valvescomprising means to move the chute lengthwise of the conveyor, means tosupply power to the several means, and means to coordinate the operationthereof.

10. Article handling apparatus comprising means to deliver articles to achute, a chute, a conveyor, means to move the chute across the conveyor,means to move the chute lengthwise of the conveyor comprising a pivotedarm mounted in proximity to said delivery means, in terconnected guideson the arm and the chute, power means to reciprocate the arm, valvemeans to control the reciprocation of said power means and said arm, andmeans on the chute constructed and arranged to operate said valves.

ll'pArti'cle handling apparatus comprising means to deliver articles toa chute, a chute, a

aeaaase conveyor, means to move the chute across the conveyor, means tomove the chute along the conveyor, means to supply the several saidmeans with power comprising fluid operated pistons, a source of fluidpressure, and a pulsator constructed and arranged to control said fluidto operate the said pistons.

12. Article handling means including a conveyor, an axially movablechute having its discharge end above the conveyor, said chute beingpivotally mounted at a distance from its discharge end, a pivoted armextending in a direction lengthwise of the conveyor, piston meansconnected to said arm for motion transverse to the axis of the arm,guide means carried crosswise by said arm engaged with guide means onsaid chute, means to pivot said chute across the conveyor withintermittent motion, means to dis-' charge articles to the conveyor fromsaid chute during the intermissions in the crosswise motion thereof, andmeans to operate said piston means at the end of each trip across theconveyor.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 in which the guide means on the arm isarcuate.

14.-The apparatus of claim 12 in which the guide means on the arm hascrossed paths.

15. Article handling means including a conveyor, a chute extending overthe conveyor, means to suspend the chute for pivotal motion across theconveyor and for motion lengthwise thereof, means to pivot the chuteintermittently through arcs of similar size, and means to move the chutebackward relative to the conveyor at the end of each trip across theconveyor and to move the chute forward relative to the conveyor duringeach movement in arc comprising a pivoted arm, a slotted guide engagingthe chute and said arm, and means to replace said guide with a slottedguide of other shape.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 in which the chute is of gravity type andis provided with alternately operating, pivoted shutters in the floorthereof, and means to raise and lower said shutters alternately insynchronism.

17. The apparatus of claim 12 in which fluid pressure. means suppliespressure through pipe lines to valves controlling the admission of thefluid to pistons operatively connected to said pivoted arm and to saidpivoted chute.

18. In the apparatus of claim 12 abutment means associated with saidpivoted arm and said chute, and controlling valves provided for said amand chute of impact type operable by said abutment meansto supplypressure to pistons operatively connected thereto.

19. The apparatus of claim 12 in which the means for intermittentlypivoting the chute comprises a pulsator in a fluid pressure line, apiston operated thereby, and a ratchet gear operable by said pistonoperatively connected to said pivoted chute.

20. The apparatus of claim 12 in which the chute is connected to aratchet gear by a piston operated reverse gear, and in which theoperation of said reverse gear is controlled by impact type valves atthe end of each trip across the conveyor.

21. An apparatus for depositing articles on a moving conveyor comprisinga chute having an inclined, longitudinal axis, a support for the chutecomprising spaced pivoted arms forming, with the chute, sides of anarticulated parallelogram, upon which the chute is pivotally mounted,the lower end of the chute being above and adjacent to the conveyor, andmeans to oscillate 14 said chute about said support across the conveyor.

22. In an apparatus for automatically delivering unstable articles to atraveling conveyor in transverse lines, a gravity type distributorfeeding articles to said conveyor, the terminal part of said distributorcomprising an L-shaped member supported on a horizontal axle, having afoot projecting up from the surface of the distributor, means to tiltsaid member to bring each article to a vertical position, pusher meansoperatively associated with said member to dislodge articles from saidmember and stabilizing means associated with said member to steady eacharticle during the operation of the pusher.

23. In an apparatus for delivering articles to a conveyor, a distributorcarrying articles toward the conveyor, an L-shaped member having a footprojecting into the path of articles traveling along the distributor,means to pivot the L- shaped member to bring the foot into dischargeposition above the conveyor, and pusher means operatively associatedtherewith to dislodge the article from the L-shaped member onto theconveyor when the foot is in discharge position.

24. Article handling apparatus comprising a conveyor, means to deliverelongated articles to a chute, a chute, a pivoted shutter adapted toform a part of the bed of the chute, means to oscillate the shutter, adelivery board pivoted to the chute, having a foot to arrest and supportarticles, means to oscillate the delivery board about its pivot inalternation with the shutter to erect the articles above the conveyor,and means to dislodge the articles from the foot in upright position.

25. Article handling apparatus comprising means to deliver articles to achute, a gravity type chute, a conveyor, means to move the chute acrossthe conveyor, suspension type parallel motion supporting means for saidchute permitting axial motion of said chute relative to said deliverymeans and said conveyor, a pivoted arm beneath the discharge end of thechute, a guide carried by the arm, a cooperating guide carried by thechute, one of said guides including a rail and the other comprising arail follower, and means to pivot the arm through a limited arc as thechute reaches the ends of its motion across the conveyor.

LOUIS THEBAULT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,043,548 Stender Nov. 5, 19121,226,633 Brauer May 22, 1917 1,319,190 Van Houten Oct. 21, 19191,413,741 La France Apr. 25, 1922 1,464,554 Amsler Aug. 14, 19231,667,714 Bocheller May 1, 1928 1,742,239 Dotson Jan. 7, '1930 1,810,512Worst June 16, 1931 1,979,553 Hunter Nov. 6, 1934 1,998,163 Meyer Apr.16, 1935 Y FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 439,977 Germany Jan. 24,1927 443,295 Germany May 2, 1927'

